World of Lucid Dreaming Forum

Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 16 Nov 2011 05:47

by thomas

First off, I am not a proficient lucid dreamer and have had only spontaneous ones in the past. I did have one induced WILD. Last night I had another one but the "entry" was different. The first one I went from hypnagogic images directly into the dream. The entry on the one last night was different. I have been trying different techniques for quite awhile.

Here is what happened. I meditated as always. The hypnagogic images appeared. Now, I have been trying different phrases - the most recent one being "I am dreaming" as I am counting backwards from 100. This was not working so I changed the phrase slightly to "I will recognize when I am dreaming" - while continuing to count backwards. I did not make it to 90 and I caught myself falling asleep. Normally when this happens I become more awake. Lots of times I just fall asleep. (sigh). I decided I would just go to sleep and try again tomorrow. As I was drifting off I noticed images again. I paid no attention and drifted off to sleep - but only for a fraction of a second. I thought I was catching myself falling asleep again but when I "woke up" I was in a lucid dream!!! (I was in a beautiful meadow) Once again I got so excited I forgot about stabilizing and woke up. But, it did last longer than the first one.

So was this another way of entering a WILD?Another question - if a WILD did I hit the timing just right for an entry or do you think my new phrase helped my subconscious know what I was really wanting? (or both)

I have found that "letting go" seems to be a key ingredient in all of this. Both times I had decided to just go to sleep and after that is when I became lucid.

Any advice or opinions would be appreciated -

Thanks, Thomas

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 16 Nov 2011 06:52

by Peter

I think people get to hung up on a "correct" WILD or correct anything. Defining only helps if you want to instruct and the first people to LD in any form must have just done it. It may have taken generations in some instances to get it all sorted and we get try to micro manage it to perfection in a instant.

That said I would call both entries a WILD as you caught yourself at the right moment and had your dream. Play around a little and see what gets you there as all we are trying to do is get a LD to happen. After that its get more difficult to get control, or at least for me it did but I made big advances in a short time so it will come.

Counting is a great way to get to sleep, I do it all the time....Peter

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:10

by thomas

Thanks for the response. I thought it was a WILD but was not entirely sure. I can definitely see that control will be one of my next bridges to cross.

Anyway - thanks again.

Thomas

And yes, "counting is a great way to get to sleep". I got a laugh out of that one as I do it all the time too.

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:47

by DreamInception

I like the process that you went through.

Is this a new process for you?

It seems to be effective in many ways. I would say to keep pushing forward if this is what mostly works for you.

At the same time - - what would you change about it?

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 23:10

by thomas

So far WILD has been the only way that I have been able to induce a lucid dream. But I get excited and that ends the dream. In my spontaneous lucid dreams (that I've had in the past) I didn't get quite as jazzed and they lasted a lot longer. I'm still trying to have a DILD.

Thomas

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 23:54

by lucidinthe sky

The WILD you described in your post is pretty much exactly how my last one went. I would still consider it a WILD. This of course is not important, but I think technically you never lose consciousness during a WILD and so you are aware of sleep paralysis as one of the stages, otherwise I guess it would be considered a DILD. Again, this trivia doesn't matter, whatever works for you.

For me having that gap was a little difficult to navigate through. I am still trying to experience a WILD without that gap between the hypnagogic images and the dream state. I was able to see I was dreaming, but felt like I just barely made it because like you say, it's like you woke up, but in the dream. Then you have to still figure out that it's a dream. I think with a WILD you go straight through in the express lane.

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 00:41

by Peter

some of my WILD I am able to hold full awareness into the dream and its always makes me wonder what goes to sleep if my mind does not. It opens alot of questions and I like this. Anyway some WILD there is no break between waking awareness and sleeping awareness - it is a life changing process and will come in time to anyone that seeks it. A lot of them there is a blurr where I catch myself falling asleep (the first contradiction "I" "myself" etc) other with HI and some without HI and a lot of times just a good sleep with some semi lucid or vivid dreams. As a side note most of my dreams are WILD and I dont count anything as a LD unless I have full awareness and full control.

Keep at it and find your own way as there is no right or wrong just did or didnt and I for one am interested in anything that gets any result big or small

Peter

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 05:04

by thomas

WILD is the technique that works for me. However, I can't really say I've ever noticed sleep paralysis - even with no break from HI into the dream. A heaviness, yes, but not a paralysis I don't think. I felt I could move. I didn't try though since I didn't want to lose the great relaxed state. Maybe I was too focused on other things to notice. Maybe my sleep paralysis is sensed (for me) as a relaxed heaviness and nothing more (?) Maybe you can go into a lucid dream from a WILD without experiencing/noticing SP. Come to think of it - I can't remember experiencing sleep paralysis at any point - even prior to LD'ing. Maybe I don't recognize it as such.

Peter - I find it interesting that you can enter a LD without HI. How does that work for you? I am asking because some nights I see no images, just the blackness we were discussing in another post. (A 3-D blackness)

One more question for you guys (or anyone) - when using the WILD technique have you ever noticed a mental "shift" right before going into the dream. Had another WILD and this seems to be developing into a pattern - a cue I can watch for. I don't know how to describe the "shift" but it's definitely there. This only happens when I go directly into the dream without losing awareness.

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 05:49

by lucidinthe sky

Thomas,

Early on in my last WILD, I had the blackness similar to what you described along with what I think were 3 D images, but they were poor quality and I still felt like I was kind of in the dark. Things were only in black and white, but it was definitely dream-like. Then I "woke up" and I remember thinking about how disappointed I was and how I missed another opportunity to lucid dream. I don't think a minute passed before I realized I was dreaming so there really couldn't have been much time between the end of HI and the lucid dream stage. I'm wondering if maybe sleep paralysis and dreaming occur almost simultaneously.

Even though I lost awareness briefly, or maybe I really didn't. Maybe it was that shift you're talking about that felt like a break. But there's definitely a major shift for me. Of course it's hard to describe, but it's like walking through a curtain or some sort of reality door, like suddenly you come into existence and the entire world takes form.

Re: Two ways of entry into a WILD?

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 06:43

by Peter

sometimes I enter a LD via WILD but its directly from an OBE. If this happens I may get some spots of colour but this wont devlop into HI or what I call HI.

Mental shift - yes its a key sign. I become aware of a differant level of activity in my mind, its very hard to describe but like emerging into a quieter place and I will smile to myself as I have just got one step closer to a WILD. Its normally into the dark space as some awareness of space is there with it but a definate shift in activity.